Valentine's Day Blizzard

We left early this morning for Westview as we had a seventh and eighth grade tournament.  The weather forecasted was ominous, but we were excited to play as we have had so many games cancelled.  The games were very physical and the girls held their own.  Meg was proud of her role as Queen of the Bruisers and I was impressed that they did not fold.  We have definitely been scoring more than we ever did last year and although we lost the first game we could hold our heads up high as we gave it our all.

The second game was close and once again I saw a lot of improvement in my team.  Meg's passing and strength has increased a lot this year.  Several teammates have stepped up so it does not all have to fall on her shoulders now.  Everyone was happy with our play today, but by the end of the second game worry about the weather greatly increased.

Around 12:30 we got word that there were two different accidents due to white out conditions.  Both blocked our path on the way home and involved a dozen or more vehicles.  The head of transportation called Sharon to tell her that they would pay for us to stay overnight if needed.  She talked with the Hapners and they said they would lead us home if she wanted to try it.  Another parent followed behind and we left the school around 2 p.m.

The first part of the trip was not as bad as I thought it would be.  There was definitely a lot of blowing snow, but in the bus we could still see pretty well.  Once we got to Ligonier, however, it became more treacherous.  US 6 was closed due to the accidents, so we had to take a county road.  It was difficult to see.  That slowed us down considerably.  We came upon a semi that had slid off the road and blocked our path.  Luckily, we were able to go around him, but had to detour once again.

The trip to State Road 15 was slow, but we were able to move along.  Sharon and I wanted to take the side roads and avoid the overpass, but Karyl thought it would be best to stay on the main road.  Once we got to the top of the overpass we came to a standstill.  It was a complete white out and neither of us could see.  We talked to Karyl and she suggested we inch a long, watch the guardrail and she would tell us what color and how many vehicles were coming in the Northbound lane.

I was extremely nervous, but the girls handled it well.  Meg started talking about a Bible story involving Jesus and the winds.  Before we knew it we were at the bottom of the hill and creeped along the path to school.  We were in our home by 4 p.m. It took me quite awhile to let go of the anxiety that trip produced.  Sharon did a great job driving and the parents were extremely helpful.  I don't ever want to be involved in a trip like that again, but it gave Sharon and I a story that Jayce and Cal will never be able to top!